


Tempus Lentulus

by amy_vic



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: Episode Tag, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-03-09
Updated: 2010-03-09
Packaged: 2017-10-07 20:02:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,070
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/68735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amy_vic/pseuds/amy_vic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Scoobies are fighting, and Anya and Tara are hiding out in Giles' bathroom. (It's a nice bathroom.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tempus Lentulus

**Author's Note:**

  * For [raedbard](https://archiveofourown.org/users/raedbard/gifts).



> Set during S4, specifically during The Yoko Factor/Primeval.

Anya and Tara come out of the bathroom not long after Buffy storms out, and Xander immediately wonders what they could have been talking about. Or not talking about, since they really don't have much in common. (Although, Anya did tell him once how she doesn't see the big deal about kissing another woman...)

But then Tara catches his eye and gives him a small, hopeful smile of, "This fight won't last; you guys will all get through it," and Xander immediately feels like the biggest jerk on the planet, because Tara is _really_ nice, and she's Willow's girlfriend, and everyone knows that the best friend's girlfriend is totally off-limits. Especially when your own current girlfriend is an ex vengeance demon who still keeps in touch with all her demon friends.

Anya walks with him back to his parents' house, but they don't talk much on the way. For once, Anya doesn't say what's on her mind, and Xander is grateful.

The house is dark and empty when they get there; it takes Xander a moment to remember that his parents have gone to Ohio to visit his great-aunt Alice. They won't be back until sometime next week.

Xander makes them both some pancakes (he wouldn't tell his secret ingredient to anyone, not even under threat of torture or death), and after the dishes are washed and put away, he and Anya drop into bed.

Xander's sort of planning on going right to sleep, because this has been one long-ass day. But then Anya snuggles closer to him, with one hand on his hip, and then her hand starts stroking a little lower and to the right, and...well, Xander's a _guy_.

They end up falling asleep for good sometime after 1am. Anya mumbles something right before she falls asleep. A few minutes later, she knees him in the thigh-_hard_.  
  


~~~~~  
  
  
By 2am, Buffy is covered from head to toe in dirt and slime, and her entire body aches.

Apparently, when you stab a chaos demon in the chest, they don't just fall to the ground and die, even though you'd sort of expect those antlers to overbalance them and pull them down.

No, they explode. A lot.

In fact, they explode so much-and with so much force-that if you're standing within arm's reach (even taking into account a broadsword), you get knocked around a little and maybe even thrown into a tree.

Which is why Buffy spends her entire walk back to campus picking bark out of her hair, wincing at the slime drying on brand new leather pants, and praying the zipper on her jacket doesn't break; she peeled off her t-shirt and turned it inside out so she could wipe demon goo out of her eyes, and if she ends up getting arrested for indecent exposure...

After a marathon shower that includes three shampoos and a full bar of soap, Buffy pulls on clean, dry jeans, layers two thin t-shirts under her jacket, and heads back out into the night.

Four vampires (and thankfully no slime) later, the sun starts peeking over the horizon. Buffy brushes herself off and walks slowly through the woods, relishing the hour; it's too late for vamps to be out, but still a little too early for humans.

By the time she reaches the center of town, sunrise is over and things look a bit brighter. If nothing else, the Espresso Pump opens extra early on weekends, and they have the best chocolate chip muffins _ever_; they top them with cinnamon/brown sugar crunchy stuff, and two of those along with a berry and vanilla cream smoothie is pretty much the official Slayer Breakfast after Buffy's been out patrolling all night. (Or, it should be. Hey, maybe then Buffy would get them for free...)

Willow isn't in their room when Buffy trudges in, and from the look of her bed, she hasn't been there all night. Buffy realizes that she's too tired to care (she's probably with Tara, anyways).

Buffy strips off her clothes, leaving them at the foot of her bed as she crawls beneath the covers. The notepad up near her pillow (tossed there this afternoon after her last class, in her hurry to get to Giles' apartment) goes flying and lands somewhere near the sink. She has just enough time-and coordination-to set her alarm for noon before she's asleep.  
  
  
~~~~~  
  
  
The first thing Giles does when he wakes up is reach for the glass of water and the aspirin. (Funny, but he doesn't remember bringing either item upstairs; last time he saw the aspirin, it was snugly in the medicine chest next to his toothpaste.)

Ten minutes later, he trusts his feet to get him down to the kitchen without falling off the stairs and breaking his neck.

After Willow stops by to retrieve her computer (and Tara has wished him better, which he appreciates even though he couldn't quite look her in the eye; too much sun behind her hair), he divests himself of his shirt and heads for the bathroom. He wants a proper shower, not just a washing-up from the kitchen sink, as he has sadly become accustomed to in recent days.

He uses up every last ounce of hot water, and sings whatever songs come to mind. As he steps out of the tub and wraps a towel around his hips, his only thought is of breakfast; this demon, at least, can bloody well wait until he's read the paper and had some toast and tea.  
  
  
~~~~~  
  
  
After a few minutes, Tara touches her shoulder and says that she's going to go see Mr. Bogarty at the Magic Box; maybe he'll know of something they can use against Adam. Willow hums her agreement without really looking up and types her password into the welcome screen of her laptop.

Willow settles down on Tara's bed and checks her email, then gets to work on the discs; she doesn't have much luck. When Tara comes back two hours later, she's carrying a paper bag in one hand, and a cup in the other; she sets it down on the nighttable by Willow's arm, and sits near the head of the bed.

"I got you tea," Tara says quietly. "Three sugars, and I picked up sandwiches; I figured you'd rather eat here than in the dining hall, so you don't have to stop working."

Willow looks up and smiles. "Thanks."


End file.
